F.A.Q.

Eat is Moscow’s Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to Eat is Moscow’s Frequently Asked Questions page. If you have a question and you don’t see it below, please email us at info@eatismocow. com and we’ll respond as soon as possible. Thank you!

Please find our rates page. The tour price includes all food and all drinks (water and other drinks if it is in the tour program), transportation during the tour and the guide. There are no hidden charges, tricks or nasty surprises – we want you to relax and enjoy the tour without having to worry about your budget. We also include lots of extra information and recommendations.

Come hungry
Wear something comfortable
Bring your camera
Watch the weather

All the food stops on each of our tours have been personally tested, often multiple times — by Eat is Moscow’s founders, as well as each of our guides. We stand by their quality. For more details, please read our Terms & Conditions page.

We don’t do hotel pickups and here’s why: we want to avoid the situation where the first hour or two of the tour is spent driving between hotels. Instead we’ll send you easy-to-follow instructions explaining how to get from your accommodation to the starting point of the tour. Whether you want to take a taxi or public transport, we can advise you on journey times and costs. And at the end of the tour we’ll help you with your onward journey.

If you are traveling in a group of at least two people, you can currently book tours online. (Click on the big “Book” button located after each tour description on our tours pages. If you are traveling alone or with children, please send us an email through our Contact form, listing your desired date, tour preference and special dietary needs. Once you agree to book the tour, we will send you the link to pay via PayPal. We require payment in full in order to confirm your reservation. For more details, please read our Terms & Conditions page.

We accept payment using PayPal. If those payment methods don’t work for you, we may be able to accept payment in cash at the start of the tour, but please contact us to check this.

Each of our tours have been painstakingly designed to highlight not only the food, but each item’s importance in Russian food culture. We do not design our routes based on coupons or kickbacks from our vendors. At the end of our tours, we want you to have a deeper, richer understanding of Russian cuisine and its traditions. We keep our groups very small — usually around four people because we want our customers to get as close to the food as possible.

Our guides also have a very specialized skill set. They’re bilingual and knowledgeable about Russian cuisine, City history and the city’s informal economy; on our tours they discuss topics ranging from the state of origin of potato to the local food politics. They also offer insight into the specific preparation and history of each food item we try. Eat is Moscow pays its guides a wage that their expertise demands.

Lastly, you’re paying for a level of customer service that we believe is unequaled in this market.

We did not design our tours with children in mind. Each route generally runs between 3 1/2 to 4 hours, and we are walking most of the time. Not all street stands offer seats. Our guides spend a fair amount of time describing the food, its preparation and its history, which some children may not find interesting. That said, we welcome children — especially adventurous ones! — as long as the parents realize that the tour may not appeal directly to their sensibilities. Due to the pacing and length of our tours, we do not recommend our tours for children under 6 years old.

Our tours offer a look at what’s really popular among locals in Moscow, this means different varieties of dumplings, salads, soups, sandwiches, blinys and other foods.

We conduct most of our tours Monday through Friday. We are also closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, and New Years Eve and New Years’ day. Our tours are aimed at individuals, couples or small groups; they are designed to fit into your schedule. We will do our best to book the tour on your desired day. If the day is full or unavailable, we can work with you to choose a different day.

Each tour has its own specific meeting spot. Once you book the tour and pay for it, we will send you a link via Google Maps. Our Signature Tours are conducted in the Centro Histórico, Roma, Condesa and Cuauhtémoc neighborhoods.

Yes, English is definitely spoken! Our guides are Russians who speak fluent English.

Yes. We’ve had plenty of vegetarians taken our tours. We can accomodate vegans as with a special customized itinerary. Our tours also work for anyone with cheese, nut and wheat allergies. Please let us what know your dietary restrictions in advance. To do so, you can contact us at info@eatismoscow.com

We prefer payment via PayPal via our online system. If you are unable to pay online, in some cases we may accept cash on the day of the tour.

Not more than you can handle! The pace is usually good for everyone. We cover enough of a neighborhood to satisfy everyones curiosity. We are on our feet for approximately 3-4 hours. 
Please note that there are some stairs that we navigate during the tour. If stairs are a problem for you or any of your guests, please indicate that when you purchase your tickets so we can do our best to accommodate your needs.

Unfortunately, at this time we cannot accommodate wheelchairs on our walking tours. The Moscow City sidewalks that we visit can be extremely narrow and crowded, and/or cracked and marked with open potholes. If you are wheelchair-bound and would like a culinary tour, please contact us about a custom offering.

This is really up to you. We generally taste around five-six items on each tour, but the price includes as much food as you’re open to trying. We offer a suggested portion size at each stop, and you can take our recommendation if you’d like. Our goal is to have you end the tour pleasantly stuffed, not so full you can barely walk. That said, everyone’s appetite is different, and we welcome all varieties!

If you have specific concerns, please email us at info@eatismoscow.com.